Charity is good. But change is better.
This is the philosophy of Community Shares of Minnesota, a funder of nearly 50 local nonprofits that are tackling hard issues at their core, rather than just addressing symptoms. Member groups focus primarily on improving access to education and healthcare, promoting human rights, securing safe and affordable housing, strengthening communities and creating change through the arts.
We heard from Governor Walz and his administration about the concerns regarding COVID-19 and our office will be closed through April 10, 2020. The virus is challenging everyone to create and implement plans and policies to best serve our communities. This requires organizations to develop flexible and responsive plans for operations moving forward.
Community Shares of Minnesota is working to comply with the guidance and directives from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). We are in an unprecedented time and strive to make decisions based off what we think is best for our staff, members, and community. Based on recommendations from the CDC and MDH to curb the spread of COVID-19, we feel that the most responsible thing to do is to temporarily close our office. Staff are working from home, although individual staff members may run into the office once or twice a week briefly for mail collection and remote bank deposits. However, the office will be closed to all visitors until further notice. Any committee meetings will be confined to conference calls rather than in-person gatherings until this crisis is over. We have complete remote access to our systems and are also available via e-mail and telephone.
During this time of sequester, many nonprofits will see countless fundraisers canceled, which will undoubtedly place a significant strain on already-limited resources. We encourage you to continue making charitable gifts to your preferred member organizations during this time and consider increasing your giving to help keep them afloat. We will be examining ways we can provide greater support to our member organizations during this period.
We will continue to watch for updates and guidance from the MDH, local health agencies, and the CDC. Our top priority is the safety of our staff, members, and the communities we work with. We encourage everyone to continue taking preventive strategies to minimize the risk of exposure.
Thank you for your attention and flexibility during this time of uncertainty for our community
Maureen Hartung
Executive Director
Community Shares of Minnesota
mhartung@communitysharesmn.org